Tumbler washing device



March 3, 1936. v. w. CUNNINGHAM 2,032,915

TUMBLER WASHING DEVICE Original Filed 001:. 5, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v. w. CUNNINGHAM TUMBLER WASHING DEVICE March 3, 1936.

Original Filed Oct. 5, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ivy/swim Patented Mar. 3, 1936 TUIWBLER- WASHING DEVICE Vincent W. Cunningham, Chicago, 111., assignor to John Cunningham, Riverside, I11.

Application October 5, 1929, Serial No. 397,486 Renewed January 14, 1936 8 Claims.

The invention relates to washing devices and more particularly to improvements in tumbler washing devices employing a scrubbing action to clean the glass.

Tumbler washing machines are, in general, of the brushing or physical scrubbing type, or of the chemical reagent type in which a suitable solution is used to dissolve the foreign matter to be removed.' 1

10 Devices of the first type have not thus far been extensively adopted because prior designs have been attended in use with excessive breakage of glassware, and have not been such as to permit the cleaning of tumblers of various sizes 16 and contours in a single machine. Scrubbing machines have furthermore been incapable of performing the brushing action in the presence of an adequate supply of liquid solvent with the result that the potential effect of the scrub- 20 bing action has not been fully realized, nor has the necessary degree of cleanliness been attained.

Devices of the chemical reagent type are incapable of completely removing surface film and foreign matter except by the use of reagents which are, in themselves, poisonous ,in nature and too expensive to be practicable commercially. Practical safety considerations have accordingly restricted such devices to the employment of mild-commercial alkaline soaps which are not sufiiciently active of themselves to penetrate and dissolve the foreign material and grease film which clings to the surface of used glassware. This inherent limitation of machines of the latter type renders them incapable of completely removing surface film and results in imperfect cleansing with the result that the liquid solvent, in draining from the surface of a tumbler is inclined to rupture and flow in small rivulets rather than in a continuous and unbroken stream as is the case when the surface is perfectly clean. The surface of the glassware is left in a streaked condition as a result of this action, and the remaining film is augmented by the dirt suspended in the solution with which it contacts.

It has accordingly been impossible to effect a thoroughly sanitary condition of used glassware, it being necessary to finally submit tumblers to a hand polishing operation, the effect of which is to uniformly distribute rather than remove the film remaining upon their surfaces :after the washing operation. Hand polishing has been an expensive and unsanitary expedient resorted to for the purpose of partially correcting the imperfect cleansing action of the washing devices.

It is therefore a general object of the present invention to produce a new and improved turnbler washing device of the scrubbing type which overcomes the foregoing difiiculties. In carrying out this object, I have provided a scrubbing device of novel construction in which the internal and external surfaces of tumblers of various sizes and contours may be simultaneously subjected 10 to a scrubbing action in the presence of a liquid solvent.

Still another object is to provide a novel tumbler scrubbing device having internal and external scrubbing elements in which one element 15 is flexibly mounted with respect to the other element so as to eliminate vibration and the breakage of fragile glassware.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved tumbler scrubbing device having internal and external scrubbing elements of which the external elements are removably mounted on the inner surface of a rotatable cylindrical housing open at one end, and the internal element is threaded upon a stub shaft coincident with the longitudinal axis of the housing, so that the external elements may be removed from the open end of the container and the internal element thereafter unscrewed from the stub shaft for inspection or replacement of the brush elements.

A further object is to provide a tumbler scrubbing device in which a brushing element is mounted on the inner surface of a rotatable cylindrical housing closed at one end and open at the other end and in which the open end is partially closed by an annular removable guard of resilient material whose inner edge is adapted to provide a yieldable guard for a tumbler in the process of being washed and to retain within the cylindrical housing a supply of liquid solvent adequate to maintain the brushing element in a wetted condition.

' Ancillary objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the scrubbing device constituting the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the device taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. r

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of I the internal brush element.

, provides, in the present instance, a portable container for a complete scrubbing unit assembly. The housing may be made of any suitable material, preferably metal, and may have any desired form. In thepresent instance, the housing l0 comprises side walls II and I2 and end walls l3 and I4 respectively which rise from a rectangular base l5 and are surmounted by a'cover l6 removably secured to the end walls by set I screws Preferably, the end walls l3 and I4 extend above the side walls II and I2, and are rounded at the top. The cover It is curved laterally to conform to the end walls, and thus lends itself to economy in space and external attractiveness. The under side of the base I5 is provided with suitable cushions |8 to permit the device to be operated upon enameled or finished surfaces without injury thereto. Formed in the end wall I 3 is a circular opening l9. An aperture 20 of any-desired contour is also formed in the wall l3 and opens down to the upper surface of the base l5.

Rotatably journaled within the housing In, with its longitudinal axis substantially coincident with the center of the circular opening I9, is a cylindrical container 2|. In the present instance, the container 2| is provided with a closed inner end 22 and an open end 23 which is adapted to rotate in a plane parallel to, and inwardly of the wall l3. In the embodiment of the invention herein selected for purposes of disclosure the cylindrical member 2| is driven by a rearwardly extending shaft 24 secured to, and coaxial with, the closed end 22-. The shaft 24 is rotatably supported in a bearing 25 which in the present instance is formed integrally with a transversely extending partition wall 26. The latter serves to divide the interior of the casing into substantially non-communifiting compartments 21 and 28.

A suitable driving mechanism for the shaft 24 is mounted in the compartment 28. In the present instance, this mechanism comprises an electric motor 29 operatively connected to the rearwardly extending end of the shaft 24 by means of a reduction gearing generally indicated at 30. To insure correct alignment and coaction between the driving and driven elements of the unit, the driving motor together with the container '2| and the intermediate reduction gearing 30 are mounted on a common supporting member. To this end, the motor 29 is supported on a bracket 3| rigidly secured to the partition wall 26 as by means of bolts 32.

Provision is made to induce a circulation of air through compartment 23 to prevent overheating of the driving motor which, in the present instance, comprises a fan 29 rigid with a protruding end of the motor shaft and adapted to ciring this purpose, the wall 26 is formed at its lower margin with a pair of forwardly extending lugs 33 secured to the base l5 by means of screws 34, and a pad 35 of resilient material, such as rubber, is interposed underneath each lug to provide a flexible mounting. Thus, the upper part of the wall 26 is free to yield forwardly or rearwardly as force is applied axially of the member 2| incident to moving a glass into and out of scrubbing position, the-resiliency of the wall as well as its mounting on the base l5 contributing to that effect. To limit rearward movement of the wall, a pair of lugs 36 are formed integrally with the respective side walls I I and I2, and project inwardly to the rear of the wall. The opposed edges of the wall are shielded from direct contact with either of the side walls or the lugs 36 by means of suitably formed resilient cushions 37.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, the container 2| is provided with a pair of opposed longitudinal inwardly facing brushes 39. In the present instance, these brushes are removably secured to the inner peripheral wall of the container by flanged retaining guides 40. A brush, substantially coextensive with the brushes 39 is removably mounted within the container and in coaxial relation thereto, and the rearward end 4 of its core is removably connected to the forward out affecting the relatively fixed positions of the brush elements. In furtherance of this end, the bristles of the central or inner brush are partially cut away at two diametrically opposed points to provide recesses opposite each of i the external or peripheral brushes, thereby permitting the employment of peripheral brushes whose bristles overlap the are defined by -the'remaining bristles of the central brush. It will be apparent from Fig. 4 that this construction enables the device to operate effectively on tumblers varying in diameter from a minimum defined by the distance betweenthe inner ends of the peripheral or external brushes, to a maximum determined by the maximum diameter of the internal brush.

Suitable means is provided to effect registration of the peripheral brushes with the recesses in the central brush. In this instance, this means comprises a central flanged sleeve 38 rigidly se-.

4| to insure an intimate and thorough scrubbing action upon the inner bottom surface of the tumbler.

It is contemplated that the placing of fragile glassware on the central scrubbing element eccentrically of the axis thereof will create unbalanced forces which will give rise to vibration within the machine and may possibly cause the breaking of the tumbler. To this end the central brush is yieldably mounted upon the stub shaft 24 by means of a flexible cylindrical coupling 46 which is secured to a shouldered head 41 upon the screw 42 by means of a bolt 48.

The effectiveness of the scrubbing operation is dependent upon the presence of a suitable liquid solvent which is maintained in a turbulent or moving condition relative to the brushing elements so as to effect a constant flushing action. In the present embodiment of the invention this purpose is accomplished by providing the open end of the container 2| with an inwardly extending peripheral flange 49 of such width as to retain within the container an appreciable quantity of solvent when the device is stationary. In operation the inertia of the liquid solvent prevents it from immediately partaking of the movement of the container with the result that it moves relative to the brushes so as to effect a washing action upon the brushes themselves.

The motor means is of such strength that the insertion of a tumbler in the scrubber effects an appreciable retardation of the speed of rotation of the container with the result that the liquid solvent contained therein will again move relative to the brushes due-to the effect of the kinetic energy acquired from the moving container and the liquid will again effect a cleansing action upon the brushes. During operation, the container will retain a large quantity of liquid in excess of that which can be held when at rest with the result that the stopping of the 'resilient material such as rubber so as to provide a cushioning effect for both the tumbler being operated upon and the fingers of the operative while holding a glass in the scrubbing position. The flange '49 is made removable to permit the replacement of either of the peripheral brushes and the subsequent removal of the central brushing element for replacement or repair. In the present instance, flange 49 engages a peripheraTbead 50 formed on the open end of the container. To further protect the operative as well as the glassware being operated upon the circular opening I9 is provided with a resilient flange i.

In operation, the container 2| is brought to its normal operating speed by the motor means after which a quantity of solvent is poured into its open end. When the brushes have become thoroughly wetted with the solvent the operative grasps the tumbler to be washed near its bottom edge and thrusts the open end of the glass into the container. The central brush effects a scrubbing of the interior of the glass simultaneously with the action of the peripheral brushes in scrubbing its exterior. Immediately after removal the tumblers are subjected to a rinsing operation and then permitted to drain. The surface tension of clean water is greater than .the adhesive effect between the water and the surface of the glass with the result that the film of water remaining upon the glass after the rinsing operation will completely drain from its surface without breaking thereby leaving the glass free of water spots and in a dry and clean condition.

By reason of the rearward position of the open end of the container with respect to the circular opening is, solvent which may be thrown therefrom during its rotation will impinge against the inner top and side walls of the housing and will be drained from the compartment 21 through the aperture 20.

The partition wall 26 in addition to serving as a common supporting. member for the mechanism, functions to prevent the flowing or splash ing of the liquid solvent upon the motor means.

Thus it will be seen that a completely 'selfcontained portable tumbler scrubbing device has been provided which is capable of physically scrubbing a tumbler in the presence of an adequate supply of solvent thereby effecting a complete removal of foreign material from its surfaces.

I claim as my invention:

1. A tumbler scrubber comprising a rotatable cylindrical container, a plurality of brush elements mounted inwardly of said container and adapted to have a tumbler projected into scrubbing relation therewith, motor means to rotate said container and a common supporting member for said container and motor means, said member being resiliently supported whereby itis adapted to yieldably resist the thrusting of a tumbler into operative relation with said brush.

2. A portable tumbler scrubber comprising, in combination, a base, a wall member yieldably mounted on said base, a cylindrical container adapted to retain liquid and rotatably journaled in said wall, a plurality of brushing elements interiorly of said container and non-rotatable with respect thereto, said brushing elements being adapted to have a tumbler thrust into engagement therewith, and motor means rigidly mounted on said wall in operative relation with said container, said motor means and said container yielding in unison with said wall under the influence of a thrust exerted in applying a tumbler to or removing it from said brushing elements.

3. A scrubber of the character described comprising a cylindrical member adapted to rotate about its longitudinal axis and having an inwardly extending peripheral flange on one end and a driving shaft on the opposed end, a single segmental brush element flexibly secured to the inner end of, and coaxial with said driving shaft, a plurality of independent inwardly extending brush elements removably secured to the inner surface of said cylindrical member, the bristles of said inwardly extending brushes extending inwardly of the circumference defined by the ends of the segments of said central brush, and means adjustably connecting said member and said driving shaft to permit relative adjustment therebetween was to position said inwardly extending brush elements between the segments of said central brush.

4. A tumbler scrubber of the class described comprising, in combination, a driving shaft, a substantiallycylindrical brush having radially extending bristles, a portion of said bristles being cut away to define a groove, said brush-being threaded axially into said shaft to rotate therewith, a cylindrical container substantially coextensive with and enveloping said brush, a second brush removably mounted on the inner peripheral surface of said container, the bristles of .said second brush being adapted to extend radially inwardly of the groove provided in the bristles of said first mentioned brush, and means adjustably I 5. A scrubber of the character described comprising, in combination, a shaft, a cylindrical brush detachably connected to said shaft for rotation about its longitudinal axis and having radially extending bristles, said bristles being partially cut away to define a groove longitudinally of said brush, a sleeve adjustably mounted on said shaft, a cylindrical container rigid with said sleeve, said container being substantially coextensive with said cylindrical brush, a flanged guide extending longitudinally of the inner surface of said container, a second brush substantially coextensive'with said first mentioned brush, said second brush' being 'slidably mounted in said guide, the bristles of said second mentioned brush extending radially inwardly of .the circumference defined by the bristles of said first brush,

the adjustable mounting of said sleeve on said shaft permitting relative rotative movement between said respective brushes to position the bristles of said second mentioned brush in the groove provided in the bristles of said first mentioned brush whereby said second mentioned brush may be freely inserted and withdrawn from said guide.

6. A portable tumbler scrubber comprising, in

combination, a housing having a base and side, end and top walls; one of said end walls having a circular opening therein, a partition member resiliently supported by the base of said housing intermediate said end walls, a cylindrical container rotatably journalled in said partition member with its axis extending substantially normally of the plane of said member and held against axial movement relative to said member whereby the resilient support of said member is adapted to yieldably resist thrust on said container, said container having an open end spaced inwardly from the opening in said end wall, a brush element mounted in said container for rotation therewith, and motor means drivingly connected to said container. v A

7. In a-tumbler scrubber, the combination of a rotatable supporting means, a substantially cylindrical brush carried by said means for scrubbing the interiors of the tumblers, a portion of the bristles of said brush being shorter than the other bristles to form a pair of segmental grooves in the brush, said means being rotatable about an axis extending longitudinally through said brush, and a pair of brushes carried by said means for scrubbing the exteriors of the tumblers and extending longitudinal of and into said grooves, the inner end of said exterior brushes extending substantially to the bottoms of said grooves said interior and exterior brushes being relatively adjustable circumferentially to position said pair of brushes in said grooves.

8. In a tumbler scrubber, the combination of a rotatable substantially cylindrical container, a brush carried by said container extending longi tudinally thereof for scrubbing the interiors of the tumblers and having bristles extending radially outward, a portion of said bristles being shorter than the other bristles, the container being rotatable about an axis extending longitudinally thereof through said brush, and a brush carried by said container for scrubbing the ex teriors of the tumblers and having bristles extending radially inward substantially to the outer ends of said shorter bristles, one of said brushes being circumferentially adjustable relative to the other to position the exterior brush and the shorter bristles of the interior brush opposite each other.

VINCENT W. CUNNINGHAM. 

